You’ll love this leek gratin full of colorful radishes and healthy greens! Perfect as a simple dinner in the spring or fall when greens are at their best and amazing as a holiday side. This recipe has it all going on.
Hello, all!
I don’t know if fall cleaning is a thing like spring cleaning, but we are doing here at BitofBacon HQ! We are cleaning all the things. My office has had a makeover and now it’s time to tackle the daughter’s room. Clean out, painting, and we’re doing her floors. Wish us luck. š
With all this cleaning I need some tasty food packed with veggies to give me energy and keep me going! Luckily I’ve been working on an awesome leek gratin, which is not only packed full of leeks, but also leafy kale (or the greens of your choice), and tasty radishes. Yum!
Okay, I did add cream and cheese, so it’s more…healthyish, but sometimes you need a bit of cream and cheese to get those greens in. Am I right?
Why make this recipe?
- Veggies! We are packing three leeks, a bunch of kale, and two bunches of radishes in this skillet. That’s A LOT of veggies in one place.
- Roasted Flavor. First we soften the veggies, then we roast them in the oven so they get all browned and crispy edged. And we all know that roasting makes for tasty veggies.
- Browned Cheese. Since the cheese is being blasted with heat as the dish roasts in the oven, it goes beyond melted and becomes browned and crisped. It’s amazing!
- Light Dinner. This recipe has enough going on that you can have it for meatless dinner all by itself.
- Holiday/Weekend Dinner Side: And all that going on means it is definitely special enough and rich enough to put next to your holiday or weekend roast.
- Make ahead: For that holiday dinner you want recipes you can prep ahead and this is one of them! Do all the sauteing the day before, then add the cream, simmer and into the oven with the cheese when you’re ready to eat.
What do you need?
- Leeks – Look for ones with a fair amount of white at the bottom. They will give you more tender vegetable to work with.
- Radishes – I chose small red ones to use in the recipe, but feel free to use whatever radishes you have on hand.
- Greens – Preferably kale; however, chard, spinach, vegetable tops, and other hearty greens are great too.
- Dairy – Send this recipe over the top with cream and plenty of cheese!
- Bread Crumbs – Crunch and flavor.
How to make this
To make leek gratin start by sauteing leeks in a skillet along with radishes and kale. Once all the vegetable are tender add spices and cream, then top with gruyere cheese and bake in the oven until it’s bubbling and the top is brown.
1. Saute the vegetables
Saute the leeks first so they have a chance to get fully tender by the time you are putting the dish in the oven. Then add the radishes and get them a little browned, and end with the greens. Once the greens have wilted completely, you’re ready for the next step.
2. Get spicy and creamy
Now you add the cayenne (which gives the gratin a nice kick!), some fresh thyme, and enough cream to make all those greens interesting. Get everything to a simmer, then add in the bread crumbs. Stir it all together until well combined.
3. Time for the cheese
Scatter the gruyere cheese over the top of the gratin. And into the oven it goes.
4. Bake the Gratin
All that’s left now is the the waiting. Set your timer for 25 minutes and let it bake. Once your timer goes off, check it and see if the top has browned a bit and it is bubbling. If so take it out. If not, a few more minutes.
Give the gratin a little rest when you take it out so that it can cool a bit and the gratin can come together. And then eat!
How to prep leeks
To cut the leeks, first cut off the dark green end of the leeks. You’ll want to cut where the leeks are becoming light green. Next, trim off the root end and peel off a couple of the outer layers.
At this point you’ll have a small white and light green cylinder a couple of inches long. Cut that cylinder down the middle into halves. Run the cut pieces of leek under water to dislodge any grit you can get at. Then cut the leeks into slices.
Transfer the sliced leeks to a colander and wash carefully under running water until the leeks are completely clean. Alternatively, put the leeks into a bowl and fill the bowl with water. Let the grit settle out and then scoop out the leeks.
More Vegetable Gratins
Here are a few of my favorites! Also, visit my Gratins Category for lots more tasty ideas
If you try my recipe for Leek Gratin, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And Iām happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Kale, Radish, and Leek Gratin with Gruyere Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 leeks, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 bunches radishes, halved or quartered
- 1 bunch young kale, sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375F.
- In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the leeks and saute, stirring frequently, until they are tender, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add the radishes and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the kale and cook and until wilted, about 5 minutes.
- When the kale is wilted, stir in the thyme, cayenne, and cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
- Mix in the bread crumbs then top the gratin with the gruyere cheese.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven bake for 25-30 minutes. The gratin will be bubbling and the cheese will be melted and browned.
- Take the gratin out of the oven and let it sit and rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Kale: Older kale can be a bit tough, so I would recommend younger, smaller kale leaves in the recipe.
- Other greens: While I chose kale for the recipe, the dish is great for many types of greens. Chard, spinach, arugula, radish greens, beet greens, or any hardy greens you have on hand would work well.
- Radish substitution: Small red or white turnips (which are often found in the spring and fall at farm stands) are a great substitute for the radishes.
Shaun says
This gratin is AMAZING. We grow most of our own veg and I look forward to the 2 times a year when leeks, kale and radish are all coming off at the same time JUST for this recipe. It’s creamy, comforting and surprising in its depth of flavor. I’ve served it to people who claim they don’t like kale or radishes and they enjoy it too. Well done,Annemarie!!